Passerby saved driver?

Sheriff says truck caught on fire after rolling over

Highland County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ronnie Hughes looks over the scene of a one-vehicle rollover accident that took place Friday on SR 138 north of Hillsboro near Stoney Point Road.

A passerby may have saved a Hillsboro man’s life after his truck rolled over on its top Friday on SR 138, but Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera said no one immediately knew exactly what happened.

Josiah Kuha, 19, of Hillsboro, was westbound on SR 138, north of Hillsboro near Stoney Point Road at around 1:45 p.m., when he lost control near the crest of a hill of the 1998 Dodge pickup truck he was driving and ran off the right side of the road. The vehicle then flipped over on its top and caught on fire, Barrera said.

The sheriff said that apparently a passerby stopped at the scene and put the flames out.

“We don’t know if he pulled (Kuha) out of the truck, if (Kuha) got himself out, or what. He left before any rescue personnel got on the scene,” Barrera said of the passerby.

The top of the truck’s cab was significantly caved in.

Rescue personnel said at the scene that Kuha was out of the truck and on the other side of the road when they arrived at the crash site.

Barrera said Kuha was transported by the Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire District to Highland District Hospital. A Paint Creek staff member at the scene said that he would likely be flown on to another hospital.

Barrera said later Friday evening that officers had not yet talked to Kuha and that the accident remains under investigation.

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.

Highland County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ronnie Hughes looks over the scene of a one-vehicle rollover accident that took place Friday on SR 138 north of Hillsboro near Stoney Point Road.

http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2015/10/web1_SR-138-rollover-pic1.jpgHighland County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ronnie Hughes looks over the scene of a one-vehicle rollover accident that took place Friday on SR 138 north of Hillsboro near Stoney Point Road.